Starry Bakery
by BBCDP2
Summary: Danny is a 24 year old man who owns his own cafe called "Starry Bakery" that is doing fantastic financially. Everything seems to be going good for Danny, however, Danny has trouble letting people into his shell or even get close enough to touch him. Vlad, a 32 year old man, who is a multi billionaire who is lonely and wants someone to share his wealth. AU gets better as it goes on
1. Chapter 1

Danny:

It was an early Monday morning and the alarm started to buzz. Danny gave a moan of aggravation from the ungodly sound of his alarm clock at 5:30 in the morning. Danny hasn't been getting a lot of sleep for the past few months now. He has been waking up in the middle of the night from restlessness and then having to wake up so early so he could get to work for the early morning crowd at the bakery.

Danny rolled out of bed after hitting the off button on his alarm clock rather harshly for its persistence and its unwillingness to seize to exist. He patted over to his bathroom in his small apartment to do his morning routine of showering, brushing teeth, and taking care of any toilet business.

After he got out of the bathroom, he changed into a black longsleeves shirt and black jeans that gripped his form nicely. Danny looked neat enough in clothing, but his dark raven black hair was still unruly as ever. No matter what product seemed to be placed in Danny's hair, it always seemed to go its own way in making him look like he just rolled out of bed.

Danny decided that he looked as presentable as he was going to look this morning, and grabbed his keys and walked the four flights of stairs down to the ground floor and two blocks to his bakery.

Once Danny got there, he opened the door with his key and made a beeline for the kitchen. He quickly started to make the batter for different types of muffins, scones, cupcakes, and cookies. Although he waited to cook the cupcakes and cookies till later, he still decided to do the prep work for them. Danny only had a half an hour till the shop opened, giving him just enough time to make the mornings baked goods and set up shop as well as turn on any and all espresso machines because frankly, he needed one himself.

He quickly got done with the morning work before 6:30 with practiced graceful movements, and turned the closed sign over to show that his bakery was in fact open. It didn't take long for his normal morning crowd to appear one by one. Danny greeted each of them by name and a guess of what their order is, he normally got it right or was in the ballpark. Every one of his customers loved Danny and felt comfortable with the young man's presence. Danny gives everyone who comes into his shop a nice smile and treats them as if they were the best of friends. Many customers find him endearing and would do anything to protect the boy despite not knowing him long enough.

Danny loved his work and he loved bakery and customers more. He decorated his bakery himself giving it a nice gentle blue hue to the walls that resembled a clear morning horizon just before the sun comes up. Any tables or chairs are black with grey cushions and the countertops are a black with little specs of grey and white in it. None of this decoration could even compare to the ceiling. The ceiling is all black with stars painted with actual constellations, hand painted personally by Danny himself. Danny is very proud and happy that he was able to decorate his shop to his satisfactory and the customers love it.

Danny feels a connection to his customers and he is always trying to strike up a conversation so that he doesn't feel as lonely. He tries to make everyone feel welcome in his "sanctuary"as he likes to call it, so that nobody feels uncomfortable.

It's finally the end of the morning rush around 9 o'clock to give Danny a little more time to make the bakery items and put them in the display case. Danny then planted himself in his high chair placed right behind the cash register where he is able to read on his phone and keep an eye on all his customers who are able to have a small sit down morning breakfast.

Danny was in the middle of reading a new romance book on his phone, what can he say he loves cheesy romantic book with a happy ending because it makes him feel better knowing the characters get a good ending even though he won't, when the familiar 'ding' of the doorbell sounded alerting Danny of a customer.

In walked an old lady around the age of 68 (AN: I really wanted to put 69 because I have the mind of a 5th grader). Danny smiled knowing happily as one of his favorite people came into his shop and he immediately started making a medium size cup of herbal tea for her.

"Hello Mrs. Sprites, how's your morning going?" Danny greated as he was finishing up the cup for her.

Mrs Sprites squints her eyes at Danny in a way that makes Danny chuckle a little. "How many times do I have to tell you that you are allowed to call me Debb?" Debb responds not answering Danny's question.

"Only once more before Wednesday considering you will tell me again tomorrow." Danny retorted with a cheeky smirk on his face. Debb has accepted the fact no matter how many times she tells him to call her by her first name, Danny won't stop being polite, yet formal with her.

"You can count on it, even though you never listen." As Danny continued with his checking her out on the cash register,even though he already knew what it would come out to: $2.17. Debb took this time to stare at Danny noticing the growing bags under his eyes shaded with a blueish purplish hue. "Are you getting enough sleep Danny because you don't seem too good?" Mrs. Sprites asked in a genuine tone.

Danny being Danny didn't want to worry the old woman about him despite having a close relationship with the women after cleaning her house on several occasions as well as doing yard work for her after one meeting outside her house. "I'm fine Mrs Sprites, you have nothing to worry about from me." he responded in a light tone as to make his message more convincing despite how he actually felt.

Mrs. Sprite gave him an unconvinced look, but left the matter alone, deciding that she will only step into a motherly role when it got a little worse and Danny was a little too tired to argue with her about getting enough sleep. Mrs. Sprite changed the subject to make Danny more comfortable and keep a conversation of what has been happening in Danny's life. "So meet any nice young ladies," she lowered her voice, "or men recently?" she questioned.

Danny being use to these blunt questions, but not the mention of his sexuality, was left a little stunned by the question. Danny sobered up quickly enough. "No but I already have a nice lady like yourself in my life." Danny deflected a semi serious question with a joking answer to keep her at arm's length. Danny does care for Mrs. Spites a lot, but he doesn't want anyone to be too close to him despite her being his closest friend at the moment.

Mrs. Sprites persisted, "Come on Danny, there is a nice young lady who is the daughter of one of my bingo friends. I'm sure you two would hit it off really fast."

Danny shifted his eyes away from her for a second realizing that she is still persistent on this idea to get him to go into a relationship with someone. "I'm really fine right now Mrs. Sprites. I don't feel like I'm ready to be in a relationship right now. I work too much for something as minor as a romantic relationship." Danny deflected yet again. "I think it might be a little while before I'm ready to commit to any real relationship just yet and even if I was ready right now, I don't know if the person would really fit my personality or if I would be able to give them the full attention they would need from any relationship..." Danny trailed off at the end of his mini rant.

"Okay if you're not ready now hun it's fine I wasn't trying to force you into a relationship just yet, but I don't like thinking about you alone." Mrs. Sprites said. Danny started opening his mouth to retort when Mrs. Sprites cut him off before he got a word out, "And don't say that you're not alone because you have me. I'm talking about a really relationship with close friends you can hang out with, not an elderly lady who comes to your work place once a day for tea." she ended as Danny deflated closing his mouth.

Danny then passed her tea over to Debb giving her a small smile as he said, " I know you want the best for me and I really am working on the relationship thing. I'll make more of an effort I promise."

Mrs. Sprites returned the smile and responded, "That's all I'm asking for Danny." They talked for a little more on trivial matters, only getting interrupted a few times by customers who walked in for a drink or muffin, before Mrs. Sprites had to leave to get to a little get together with her friends, leaving Danny with a wave and a reminder of his promise.

Danny then returned back to his phone to continued reading wondering why he can't make good strong relationships like the ones he reads. What was he missing?

Okay end of first chapter. How did you like it? I'm going to try to update another time this week because it's spring break, it will probably be on Vlad. I'm sorry it's just getting a feel of the characters right now but I don't want to rush the relationship. R&R please


	2. Chapter 2

Original description on the Wattpad- please show it love over there too if you have time :D

 **Danny is a 24 year old man who owns his own bakery/cafe called "Starry Bakery" that is doing fantastic financially. Everything seems to be going right for Danny in the eyes of most, however, Danny has trouble letting people into his shell or even get close enough to touch him. He hasn't been treated the best by people throughout his life and he created his bakery to be a sanctuary for himself.**

 **Vlad is a 32 year old man who is a multi billionaire with more companies than he has fingers and toes. He spent every waking moment of his life working to build up his name brand of "Master's Products" and becoming an immovable force in the business world. He has everything he could ever want, but he is missing someone to share his wealth with.**

 **I don't own characters**

Vlad:

Vladimir Masters, also known as Vlad Masters, is a very wealthy businessman, owning a variety of businesses he either started or took over. Vlad was born into a family with shortcomings and it lead to Vlad being feared by competitors from his aggressive behavior. Vlad doesn't take no for an answer and he takes up a dominant role as to not be disrespected.

Vlad has a way of being ruthless yet polite and poised to those in the business world and instructive and a bit overruling to those who worked for him. However, no one who worked for Vlad complained, not out of fear of what would happen if they were to complain but out of their own free will. Many of his employees respected the way he was able to handle his work and make it seem simple.

It was eleven in the morning and vlad just got out of a meeting that lasted for four hours. You could say that vlad was more than just a little pissed at these circumstances. Some higher up employee made a mistake in the system of tracking items leaving a couple hundred orders lost before somebody found the problem within the network. Therefore, the whole meeting was spent explaining to the employee what he did wrong as well as coming up with an efficient way to retrieve the lost orders. Vlad felt the meeting was successful, but an unnecessary waste of time and effort that could have been spent doing something else important if only the employee had paid more attention to what he was doing.

Once Vlad got back to his private office , he sat down at his desk to manage and check in on a few of his many companies. Vlad worked for another hour and a half before he started to hear his stomach's protest because it wasn't being fed. Vlad was about to pick up his work phone to tell his secretary Janet to pick him up some lunch from the deli one block away from the office when the door to his office opened, revealing Janet.

"You know that I wish for you to knock on the door before entering my office right Janet?" Vlad inquired with a straight face.

"Sorry for the disturbance Sir" Janet turned to leave saying, "Then you don't want a turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo sub on wheat from the deli?"

Vlad (or Vlad's stomach) thought for a millisecond before saying a little too quickly, "Wait," he took a breath to return to his normal demeanor, "I expect to you be back to the office in 15 minutes."

"Same as always Sir." Janet said with a small smirk on her face as she left the room to get her boss's lunch and paying for it using the company's credit card. Vlad would never fire his secretary despite how unprofessional she would be at times. Janet would do her job and would occasionally take up a motherly role when he was neglecting himself despite her being younger than him.

Vlad then returned to work only having to stop one more time at exactly 12:45 for his lunch and then continuing late into the night when he was the only one who hasn't left work yet. Once Vlad felt he was done for the night he packed up his belongings then walked out of the building to his car when his phone went off to alert Vlad that he was being called so he stopped to take his phone out of his pocket to see that the call was from his current girlfriend, Emilia.

Vlad smiled happily. Emilia is a tall blond beautiful woman who is the daughter of a well-paid and known lawyer. Emilia and Vlad have been going out for the past t four and a half months and has taken her on many fancy and expensive dinner dates where they got to know each other better. Vlad's relationship with Emilia is surprising longer than others had, and Vlad started to feel happy about himself that one of his relationships were going right.

"Hello my dear." Vlad greeted with a sensual tone in his voice.

"Hey Vlad." Emilia replied back in a monotone voice. Vlad being a little worried and curious as to why his girlfriend would respond to him in that tone. She was normally more energetic no matter what time of day it was.

"Is there something wrong Emilia?" Vlad asked in a sincerely concerned voice.

Emilia seemed to hesitate for a second while Vlad waited patiently on the other line. "...Actually Vlad, yes there is." Emilia paused to collect her thoughts so that she could say what she needed to. "I don't think we are a good match Vlad. You have too much work to be doing and it just not enough for me anymore. You can't form a relationship if there you don't have time to build one. It's over Vlad." Emilia finally ended on a quiet note.

"Are you seriously breaking up with me over a phone call?" Vlad all but yelled at his phone. Even his last girlfriend had the decency to dump him in person. "This is so low Emilia I don't understand. I gave you all that you asked for, I remembered all of the monthly anerveries you insisted we celebrate, and I bought you gifts for each and every one of them."

"You didn't give me the time of day Vlad!" she yelled back into her phone. "There's more to life than work Vlad. Have fun spending the rest of your life alone because people like you never change. You will only care about yourself and what you need to do to get what you want!"

All this hit Vlad to his core. It couldn't be true. Has he been neglecting all of his lovers in this way? Is this why he will never able to have a relationship? Why can't he get the important things in his life right?

Vlad hadn't spoken for a few seconds leaving Emilia to fill in the silence, "Goodbye Vlad. I hope we can meet again on better terms than where we are leaving off."

The line went dead.

Vlad still held the phone up to his ear waiting and hoping that this hadn't happened to him again, that this was just a dream and that he will wake up from this repeating nightmare. Vlad finally put his phone back in his pocket and turned around, walking out of the parking lot. Vlad needed space he needed to clear his head.

Vlad started walking down the sidewalk taking deep breathes thinking about his relationship with Emilia. He truly did not want to believe that he had pushed her away because he didn't spend as much time with her as she wanted. It als hurt his feelings when she didn't even acknowledge any of the things Vlad did right in the relationship, and it hurt Vlad more than what he would admit to.

Now he had to think of what to do. He wouldn't chase after her and want to get back together with her, no, she made her opinion very clear to him just minutes ago. Maybe Vlad should stop trying to get into relationships all together and accept that he was going to die alone in his mansion.

Just as Vlad finished that train of thought with watery eyes (A/N: no tears, Vlad's too good for that), Vlad ran into something, sending Vlad off balance. Vlad regained his ability to stand up right and he turned his head to see what almost caused him to make and even bigger fool of himself tonight. Vlad was expecting a city trashcan or a pole, but instead he found a boy.

The boy sat on the ground, dark midnight tresses of hair covering up his face. It took a second longer for the boy to recover from the unexpected collision, and in that second Vlad took a moment to size him up. The boy stood up and Vlad was a little surprised to see that the boy was more than half a foot shorter than Vlad's impressive height of 6.2. Vlad was shocked as the the boy finally looked up to see what had caused his fall. The boy was beautiful with the clearest of baby blue eyes, a button nose, small but full lips, and his hair was unruly, but it complimented him well. To put it lightly, Vlad was very much attracted to him, but wouldn't that make him a petifile because the boy looked no older than 17? Would that also mean he way gay?

The boy opened his mouth to say something, but after seeing Vlad's disheveledness and watery expression, it seemed that he stopped what probably was a comment along the lines of "watch where you're going". Instead he said, "Are you alright?"

Vlad was taken even more aback by this boy. First Vlad knocks the poor thing over in the middle of the night and then Vlad stares at him uncomfortable for a few seconds, then the boy asks him if "he's alright". The sincerity throws Vlad off the most. He really did seem to care for Vlad's well being. Wouldn't you if you saw a grown 32 year old man about to cry on the street? (A/N: probably not, it's a little creepy)

Vlad tried to steady his voice before he spoke, "I'm alright, and I am terribly sorry for walking into you. I had... a lot on my mind... and wasn't looking where I was going." the boy did not look like he believed Vlad considering he just stuttered and looked away from him at the end of his sentence.

"It's completely fine, it happens." the boy answered. The boy then looked at Vlad and then to the left, where a bunch of shops were, contemplating something. It was then that Vlad took note of his surroundings, realizing that he walked a good ten blocks away from the office, and noticed he and the boy were in front of what must have been a café or bakery called, "Starry Bakery".

The boy made up his mind as he said, "Would you like something to drink or eat?" with more confidence in his voice than he previously had. Vlad must have looked confused because the boy lifted his hand to indicate that he was talking about the bakery. "I work there and I wouldn't mind making you a drink right now. And no offence, it seems like you need a little pick me up" the boy elaborated.

Vlad finally understanding, was about to decline when he thought of a nice hot cup of coffee. Despite it being late at night, Vlad could always use a cup of coffee. Vlad, changing his original thought of declining, was about to say yes, when a thought occurred to him, "Wouldn't your boss get mad at you for not closing the shop at the proper time?" Vlad said.

This just made the boy smile like he knew something Vlad didn't. "Nah, it's fine the owner is pretty cool on these things, and it's not like he could fire me." the boy said ending with a cheeky smile on his face. The boy definitely knew something Vlad didn't, but Vlad wasn't going to be too focused on that right now as the boy fished the keys out of his pocket and went to unlock the door.

 **Done. Yay for spring break and having enough time to write this. I was going to do it last night at 1 but I got tired and I wrote a paper yesterday (why did I have homework anyway?). Anyway thank you all and** **R &R as well as vote please- it makes me happy :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own anything**

Third Person:

After the boy unlocked the door, he held the door open for Vlad to walk in first and followed after. The boy proceeded to walk further into the bakery where Vlad was assuming the light switch was. The boy said, "Here we go," as the bakery was dowsed in light.

Vlad' eyes took a minute to adjust to the change in lighting, but once he was able to see without squinting, he was a little surprised to say the least. Vlad looked over the interior expecting a classic pastel colored bakery, but was curious about the sleek black and silvery-gray look of the shop. It took a second longer for Vlad to draw his attention away from the tables and chairs, and focus his attention on the ceiling. Vlad then understood why it was called "Starry Bakery". It was truly amazing to see how thought put into such a small shop.

While Vlad was distracted, the boy, started up an espresso machine for his amazed customer. "You like the ceiling?" the boy asked.

Vlad finally snapping out of his daze whipped his head toward the boy and answered, "Very much. It is quite stunning and unique for a bakery."

Danny got a curious look, "What kind of coffee do you want? And what do you mean by 'stunning and unique for a bakery'?"

Vlad gazed up at the menu board behind the boy's head and said, "I'll have a vanilla cream coffee." The boy got to work on Vlad's order while Vlad chose that time to answer the boy's question. "Yes, stunning and unique. I figured it was a perfect description for such a bakery."

"And what pray tell does that mean?" The boy asked.

Vlad answered the curious boy, "The bakery is not like anything I've ever seen. One would assume that a bakery would be more along the lines of gentler in design as well as pastel colors, but this," Vlad gestured to the tables in chairs around him, "is a completely different view of a bakery. It's sleek and modern with a cool atmosphere."

The boy smiled at this description of the bakery, seeming satisfied. The boy finished Vlad's drink and passed it over saying, "Here you go..." drawing out the word 'go',expecting the man to fill in his name.

"Vlad Masters." Vlad filled in taking his drink.

"Well Vlad, it's nice to meet you. My name is Danny." the boy said with a small smile.

Vlad returned the smile knowing he could now stop referring to Danny as "the boy" in his head and took a sip. Vlad was satisfied by the coffee. It had the right mix of vanilla and the basic coffee flavor without being to bitter or sweet. Vlad then realized that Danny did not react how a lot of others have reacted because of his last name. Most people would take him as a very rich man who is above them and they should kiss his feet, trying to get into his good graces for personal advantages. Danny seemed to react exactly how Vlad would like; Danny treated Vlad like everyone else.

"Well it is a pleasure to meet you, Danny." Vlad replied. Vlad found himself thinking back to Emilia because Danny was too much of an opposite from Emilia. This thought depressed Vlad because it just reminded him he couldn't hold the relationship for longer than a year.

Danny took notice of the deflated look on Vlad's face, and he decided it didn't fit nor suit the man in front of him. " You seem... upset. Do you want to talk about it? I've been told I'm a great listener." Danny offered in a gentle tone.

Vlad tried to evade the question with a question of his own, "I think it's rather late and I have already put you at an inconvenience tonight don't you think?"

Danny seeing that whatever Vlad was going through must have hit the older gentleman harder than what he was showing, backed off the question apologized, "Sorry, didn't mean to pry, but I think should tell someone if not your average bakery worker."

Vlad smiled at the small joke, "I appreciate the concern for me, and I accept your apology." Vlad said. Danny smiled in return after getting done what he tried to accomplish: getting Vlad to smile after his small wave of depression.

Vlad then looked down at his watch to see how late it was and realized he probably needed to leave soon. However, Vlad did not want to leave just yet. He enjoyed the small amount of time he spent with Danny. It was like the young man could wash away all the unhappiness in the world.

Danny having seen Vlad check a watch turned around to his spaceship themed clock on the wall and noted that it was rather late. When Danny turned around, he saw Vlad digging in his pockets for what Danny assumed was a wallet and stopped him by saying, "You know I gave you that drink on the house right?"

Vlad stopped reaching into his pockets because of Danny's words and tilted his head to the side as a thought came through his head 'Does Danny know I'm _the Vlad Masters?'_

"Are you sure, Danny? I really won't mind paying for my drink."

"I insist. Plus it looked like you needed a little kindness today." Danny said while turning around to turn off the coffee machine.

Vlad smiled at the genuinely kind man in front of him, "Thank you, Danny." Vlad not wanting to leave the boy just yet asked, "How often are you working here?"

Danny not wanting to tell him that he is at his shop from dawn until late into the night replied, "All the time."

The answer seemed vague but not enough for Vlad to question it, and he took it as a possibility to see Danny again. Vlad then receiving a good enough answer to finally feel like he could leave Danny because he now had faith that he could get to talk to the young man again, said his farewell, "Well it was great to meet you, Danny, but I feel like I have kept you up long enough and I must bid you goodbye."

Danny then meeting the other man's gaze said, "Likewise, and I hope to see you again, Vlad."

'As do I' was Vlad's unspoken words as Vlad nodded his head in Danny's direction and made his way out of the bakery, down the street, and back to his car all the while thinking about the kind man he hoped to see a lot more of.

Danny still staring at the door that Vlad just walked out of thought that if Vlad did come back, then he would try to make a friend because he made promise. Vlad could very well be the thing that Danny needs.

 **I'm sorry it took a little bit to get this up because I'm not very confident in myself about dialog of characters of any kind. I feel there is too many commas and rules for me to be happy about doing them. Therefore this chapter is slightly shorter than the other two but I still put love into it :D**

 **How are you guys liking this story so far? Do you have any suggestions for where the story should go because I have a basic idea where it's going but I could include your guys' ideas.**

 *****What do you want Danny's little tragedy to be? Bullying, Abuse, Sexual Abuse, relationship trouble? little suggestions, just let me know what you think and I hope you have a wonderful day. R &R**


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so terribly sorry for the long wait and I feel terrible for it. I was originally going to wait for summer to start but it is already one and two days into summer, but I think it only started two days ago because I still had spring sports to attend to (WE WON STATES-again) Anyways I will really try to post more. Again I am sorry O.O**

 **I don't own anything but the plot**

Danny spent his walk home thinking about the man who ran into him, literally. He had a certain charm about him that intrigued Danny. He had been completely mesmerized when he talked. And that deep voice that sent chills up his spine without his consent.

Only one word could describe what Danny was feeling: fear. Utter fear from talking to someone, a man of similar size and build. It just wasn't that Vlad was a man but it was the fact that he had towered over Danny in not just height. He placed a mask on when he was talking to a stranger hoping the taller man could not see through him and realize how afraid Danny was in their brief encounter. Danny felt inadequate to the stranger. Vlad was just more. There was no better way to describe how Danny felt. He was less and the suited man was more. And more scared Danny.

As Danny reached his building he climbed up the stairs to his small apartment, getting slightly out of breath from climbing four flights of the shabby yellow stained stairs. He made quick work of digging his keys out of his pocket and inserted the key into the doors lock. When he entered he put his stuff down by the door and proceeded to enter his room so he could have some form of relaxation from his day at work.

Danny loved his customers and talking with them was a way for him to actually talk with people on a small scale, but the fear of what every person could do puts him on edge and makes him forget how to relax. He does this to himself every day and it builds up over time adding to his ever increasing exhaustion. When it builds up too much, Danny's body just can't take it and will force him to surrender to his own needs without a say-so from Danny. This has never happened before the... no, he can't think of it. Like it happened yesterday and not six years ago. He just needs to get over it, but honestly, if you are not over it by now, will you ever?

Danny collapses on top of his bed, face first into his plush pillows. Danny's room is not as good as professing Danny's love of space as his bakery, but it does the job for the young man. The bedding is a galaxy format where the pillows have a moon on one side and sun on the other, and both rock and star are surrounded by the constellations. While the Pillowcases are realistic and based on the actual sky, the puffy bed comforter is the usual galaxy design where the center is a scare of white color with pinks, yellows, blues, and greens leak from it in lightning bolt shapes. And of course, there is a splatter of different shape white dots surrounding the lightened hole in the blanket's sky to give the visual effect of a night sky.

Even though the bed set was unrealistic, it still meant the world to Danny to have his forgotten dream still live on in his life. When Danny was young and adults asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up, Danny always said "an astronaut" at age three, ten, and even in the beginning of high school, before he realized that his dream wasn't going to be a reality.

The rest of Danny's room is dark with black dressers and a bedside table to match. The walls are painted a dark navy blue. Danny had to ask his landlord if he could actually paint the once yellow crusted walls in a bold blue and ended up baking the man cinnamon rolls as well as oatmeal raisin cookies to coax the man into allowing him to paint the walls a different color. After the color ordeal, Danny's landlord actually started to go to his bakery and buy the heavenly cinnamon rolls and the otherworldly oatmeal cookies. Of course Danny only heard the man mutter these things about his cooking when he was either muttering it under his breath or it was painfully obvious that even Danny, the clueless wonder, couldn't miss the way the man's eyes rolled to the back of his head when he took a bite of his baked goods.

Despite having the colorful bedspread, the rest of his room and house are void personalization. Sure there is one of two pictures in the living room and one could find a few more in the back of Danny's closet, but there was no specific thing on top of the dresser that screamed, "THIS IS DANNY'S STYLE AND THEREFORE DANNY LIVES HERE: NONE SHALL PASS!" The young bakery owner had the minimum; he owned the essentials and little more for some comfort. There is another odd and yet important aspect about Danny's apartment: he has no mirrors. Danny does not have any mirrors in his small piece of property and he doesn't intend to anytime soon. It's just easier for him if he doesn't know what he looks like; he doesn't want to look at himself because he's afraid of what he'll see. Besides, he knows enough about his features to satisfy himself long enough to last his small fear of mirrors.

Danny then lets out a deep breath into his galaxy patterned pillows wondering if he should even waste energy on making himself dinner. He wasn't even sure if he could build up an appetite to eat all of it. Thinking hard on the matter, of how long it will take to get up, prepare the food, work up some form of motivation to eat it, and then sit down at his table to eat his dinner. Deciding that he has had a long day, the twenty-four-year-old gets up to take off his flour stained shirt and pants and change into a baggy t-shirt two sizes too big and keeping his boxer shorts on for comfort.

As the youthful man settles into his bed for the night, he has a thought of his promise to Mrs. Sprites to try to build up a relationship of some kind, and like the person he is, Danny never breaks a promise. As soon as he thinks of his promise to the old woman, his train of thought then runs into the tall man he talked earlier and thought that he could be a possible person to start with. However, it stopped there when his mind told him nobody would want to actually speak with him more that a casual conversation with a customer and an employee. Now that would be a waste of his time. As the minutes ticked by, Danny fell asleep with those depressing thoughts running through his head.

 _Bang!_

 _Danny's head made a loud sound when he was knocked into the metal dumpster in the alley. His vision shifted as he stared at the ground, one hand on his head and the other on the ground trying to keep himself steady while leaning over his knees. He was trying to clear his vision and hoping the pain in his head would subside before there was another oncoming assault. The clothes of the hurt man were slightly ripped and the hems of his pants were caked in mud from running through the park as an attempt to escape the beating he knew was coming._

 _When his head was clear enough to look up and see the lurking shadow of a large man made him shake from the fear of what always came from seeing him. He was dazed as he tried to stand up, leaning heavily on the filthy dumpster edge, as he made the decision that it was better to be standing than on the ground when facing the man._

 _The shadowed man towered over Danny as most men do, but this man dwarfed him significantly. He stalked towards the struggling man, and the man barely was on his feet for five seconds before he was thrown against the dumpster yet again._

 _Danny saw stars, "God I wish he would just leave me alone," was the only thought in his head as pain erupted from the right side of his face and shoulder. He only had a moment of leaning on the dumpster, attempting to get up again before more pain came from his ribs; the shadowed man kicked Danny while he was down. Danny collapses onto the ground from the impact._

 _Then there is another kick and a grunt from Danny. Then another and another, and then he hears a cracking sound right before he lets out a scream from the breaking in his ribs. The shadowed man doesn't hear the cracking sound and continued to kick the beaten man as he continues to kick him three more times, causing two more cracking sounds._

 _When Danny thought he was finally able to curl up to wallow in the pain without worrying about further abuse from his assaulter when he feels a weight on top of him. Danny's eyes going wide thinking that it wasn't over and not sure if he could handle any more. Whether it was courage or a buildup of sheer panic and despite the pain from his abdomen, he started to struggle for all his life was worth. He kicked his legs up against the weight and flailed his arms to avoid being caught with the weight's hands, using all his strength to get awa..._

Thud!

Danny woke with a start and a frenzy look in his eyes from his dream. He looked around trying to take in his surroundings, realizing that he was not there, not trapped in his dream. As his eyes adjusted, he saw he was no longer on his bed but on the ground, feet tangled with his galaxy comforter that was still draped over the bottom corner of his bed.

He let out a sigh knowing that he would hate the nightmares enough he doesn't want to sleep anymore. Removing his hand from his face, he turns it over looking at his watch and hitting the button on the top right corner of it to light up the time. 4:27 was the time shown in neon green, creating a small green glow on Danny's face.

Danny groaned knowing he wasn't going to be getting any more sleep before he has to get ready for the day, but it still left time for him to think back on his dream despite not wanting to.

 **Okay what do you think? We got a little bit of info on what may or maynot have happened. Remember it was a dream and not a memory, therefore it could be warped from an actual memory. Leave a comment and Vote please and I hope you have a wonderful day :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**SORRY FOR THE WAIT! Enjoy! And I don't own anything.**

 _Danny's POV (3rd person)_

After sitting on the floor for a solid ten minutes to get the thoughts of his dream out of his head, he got up to go to the bathroom. He needed to take a long shower and bath to get over the dream.

This is how it normally goes for Danny after a night like this, and unfortunately, it happens more often than what is healthy. Danny would wake himself up in the middle of the night and not be able to move for at least five minutes, and then he would have to take a shower/bath to avoid shaking that would lead to a panic attack. Danny can't handle the stress his dreams put on him mentally which leads to physical problems. Panic attacks are rare for Danny because he knows the signs and can catch himself early, but they do happen and when they do they hang around Danny for several days.

Once Danny went into his joined bathroom, he closed the door not able to look at his room at the moment because it was so dark. In past experiences, bad things happen in the dark that he would never like to relieve.

He quickly made his way over to his shower turning it on and then taking off his very baggy shirt, followed by his boxers. Danny went into the shower not caring about whether the water was hot or cold, he just needed to water on himself. He immediately reached out for his vanilla-scented soap and started to rub it in between his hands forming a lather at a steady pace. The slow pace started to get unsteady as he started rubbing the soap up his arms, trying to spread the suds further in hopes of getting clean faster. His movements then became frantic as the soap was not working fast enough. Danny started using more of his fingernails, literally scraping away skin and soap in attempts to be clean when the soap fell, knocking Danny out of the daze he fell in when he started frantically scratching his skin. Danny shook his head looking down at the bar of white soap floating around the bottom of the slightly filled tub. It was then that salty water started forming him his eyes that the little white bar became a blurry ball shape in his vision. Tears, filling up in Danny's eyes, fell down his cheeks mixing with the shower water as they to fell into the small build up of water.

His dark hair forming a small curtain over his eyes from any onslaught from the ongoing shower stream made him realize what he was doing and if small trails of pain on his body were anything to go by, he knew he was scratching again. He bent his knees, sat back on his butt, grabbing his legs, and curling in on himself in a corner of the tub on the opposite side of the shower head so the water would hit him. He still wanted to feel like the water was cleaning him even though he lost the soap and knew he was not going to find it again until his next shower.

He sat in there for a long time drawing out every minute until he could not waste anymore time just sitting in the tub. He got up slowly on somewhat shaky legs, turned of the cooling water, and carefully stepped out of the tub. Drying himself quickly and finishing up in the bathroom with his normal routine of brushing his teeth, deodorant, and combing his hair into its usual mess.

Danny stepped back into his room, but this time, he turned on the light to dissipate his fears as well as getting ready for the day. He walked over to his dresser in his towel and chose a grey longsleeves shirt as well as black jeans, slightly looser than the day before's.

Finally the shaking slowed enough for the now dressed man to walk out of his apartment grabbing a black jacket because the weather was starting to get colder, and without drawing attention to himself, knowing he hated unneeded questions and attention and would rather avoid it at all costs. Besides, he was more than happy to blend into the background.

The early hour allowed for Danny to make his way down to his shop on the non-crowded sidewalk to his beloved bakery. He made quick work of the door's lock and opened the door to get started on his day.

Danny made his way to behind the counter to turn on all the machines and then went into the back to get an apron as a dress code he created for himself and the look he wanted his little shop to have. After the slight adjustment to his outfit, he started up the ovens then proceeded to do the prep work to make muffins, scones, cookies, cupcakes, and brownies. Danny is very talented in the kitchen and managed to multitask with five different areas on the counter, preparing all five pasties at the same time. Danny's way of cooking is a very unique style, where he would take out one ingredient and then proceed to add it to all of the batter's that are in need of it. He does this and mixes one while others are cooling, offering the the perfect balance of the time before he has to open for the morning rush. This was the most effective way to bake all the food needed for the afternoon, however he would need to go back into the kitchen to make more desserts later around two or three when there are not as many customers.

In no time, Danny had the pans filled with the batter and in the oven and set his little _Star Wars_ themed timer that was in the shape of the _Millennium Falcon_. Pleased he got the pans in the oven in under fifteen minutes of arriving made the young man smile to himself. _At least I can still bake_ was the thought running through Danny's head, causing his smile to dimmer just a bit when he started thinking of his dream. He shook his head getting rid of that train of thought, he can't let... it rule his life. Danny stopped staring at the ovens and went to the large fridge in the back corner that is the farthest from the ovens. The fridge is a walk in one where he stores ingredients such as eggs and milk. He also stores the pastries made from the day before, used as that morning's supply for the customers. Danny entered the fridge feeling slightly better entering a cold environment. He always felt better if he was colder; it just seemed to have a calming effect on him. Grabbing the extra pastries from the shelf, he made his way out of the fridge, closing the fridge with his foot due to the fact that he needed both hands to carry the amount of pastries he had for the morning rush. He carried them to the front counter to set them down, and then began to fill the display case with the cookies, brownies, cupcakes, muffins, and scones.

After filling the display case, he went to work making three different orders of coffee for the really early arrivals. The regulars were always in a rush to get to work and Danny thought he could same them a few minutes if their drinks were prepared before they came into the shop. Even these customers, who were in a rush, had time to care for Danny who was always nice to everyone who came into his shop as well as courteous of others needs. They to were apart of the unspoken feeling in the young man's shop: to care for and respect the man with the kind but broken blue eyes. Most people who venture into the shop are able to see that the young man behind the cash register has been hurt before or one too many times, and they cannot help themselves to feel some form or caring or protection for the man.

Danny, busy making the drinks, was adding a little extra heat to them so they might stay hotter longer to compensate the ten minutes before he had to open the bakery. He finished them quickly and wrote their names corresponding with the customer, so when they do arrive, it will be a quick exchange.

Realizing he only had two minutes left before he had to get the pastries out of the oven and on the cooling racks, rushed into the back kitchen area and set up the metal holders in the rack to allow the proper cooling. _Ding._ Danny heard his little spaceship timer go off, proclaiming that the food was done for the cookies and scones. Danny got them out and then set the timer for a minute and a half for the cupcakes and muffins, and so on with the brownies. This process lasted for about five minutes of Danny getting trays out of the oven, setting the timer, and then placing the trays he got out of the oven on the cooling racks.

Finally finishing with the morning prep, he came to the front glass door, and flipped the sign from 'closed' to 'open'. He walked back behind the cash register, and sat at his little bar stool, which was matched well with grey-silver theme, waiting for the customers to come in. The dark haired man didn't have to wait more than three minutes before he had a few early birds desperately in need of caffeine. Danny then had little to no time to think about last night's dream and focus on work.

Right after the morning rush, around eight forty-five, a charming familiar older lady came into his shop. She hates the morning crowd and how they are always in a rush, but it is worth it to come in a little later to see the man who takes the place of a son in her heart. Though they are not related by blood, but they were connected on a far deeper level.

She slowly made her way up to the counter barstools where a few other regulars were scattered about, and found a seat closest to the cash register for easier convenience.

As she took a seat, she looked over to see Danny give a drink to a customer before he turned to her. A smile broke out across his face as he saw the kind old woman. He made his way to her. "Want the usual?"

"You know me so well, and can you add a cookie to that for me. I've had a long morning."

"Yeah. Chocolate chip? and what happened? Is it Bill again?"

Bill was Mrs. Sprites next door neighbor who didn't always stay on his side of the fence always puts the most god-awful decorations in his front yard and then brags about them to his neighbors, which also happens to include Mrs. Sprites. She despises how many times she has been dragged from her home to look at a knome with a green hat leaning on a mushroom. It's not the fact that he might buy one knome, but the fact that he overcrowds is lawn and makes a big deal out of it.

"Yes! He didn't leave me alone all morning!" she said in an exasperated tone.

Danny went over to the coffee machine and set it for the tea settings, and then went to the dispay case to get the cookie. "What did he buy this time?" he said while bending down behind the counter.

"It's great. This time he got _the ultra new value pack of bunnies_ and let's not forget the stone carved to be a _big happy bullfrog."_ she said in a sarcastic manner.

"Thats not so bad," said the young man, "at least he it gives him something to do in his free time."

Danny finished up the tea by putting the small bag a mug and then carried the cookie on a plate to where the old woman was sitting. As he set it down, she said, "Did I also mention that he named them all?"

The raven haired man gave a look of awkwardness as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Um... I don't have an excuse for that one but give me a moment I'm working on it."

Mrs. Sprites cracked a smile. She knew if she came today her figurative son would cheer her up. "Sometimes Bill just gets on my last nerve. He assumes I have nothing better to do than to listen to him rant about how happy he is that he named the bunnies after different types metal." the grey-haired woman roller her eyes knowing Danny wouldn't want her to bad mouth Bill too much.

"I get it; he can be a handful, but you know he makes a nice friend when he's not talking about his yard."

"I know that. Besides who else can I ask to keep me company while your here working yourself to the bone?" She said back to him.

"Exactly, you like Bill," and he thought for a second, "and I am not working myself 'to the bone' as you put it." Danny said not liking she was commenting on how many hours he spent at the work dispite her being correct.

"Are too." the older woman said quietly with a cheeky smile as she drank from her mug. Danny just sighed and leaned on the counter near woman.

They both continued on like this in conversation, talking about Mrs. Sprites daily life and what she did the day before as well as the plans she had later that day.

Danny was finishing up washing the counter top while Mrs. Sprites was in the restroom. His thoughts traveled back to thoughts of Vlad. The man seemed to take up any free time he had to think. The way he moved, so strong and confident, made him a bit unnerved and also excieted. It confused him and how he should act around the man. And what's to say he would ever see the man again its not like he could just meet up again.

His thoughts were interupted when he heard Mrs. Sprites ask, "You going to tell me what made you smile for about ten seconds before you got a depressed faced?"

The young man jumped at the noise interupting his thought process, but settled quickly when he knew it was just the elder woman back from the bathroom. Danny debated if it was a good idea to tell the nosy old woman anything that could lead to anything in the future.

Mrs. Sprites looked disappointed as she said, "Fine. Don't say anything, but sooner or later this old bat will figure what going on. Just you wait."

Danny shook his head at the 'ever foreboding' dramatic flare Mrs. Sprites always has when he sees her. Knowing she wouldn't push him just yet on the topic, proceeded to ask if she needed any work done on the lawn this weekend or wanted to go out to lunch.

"You really don't need to go through all that trouble for me. I will just be happy to spend time with you. And just what are you doing spending your day with and old woman anyway?" She fired back after his question.

"Just thought you could use more than just Bill's company is all. And there is nothing wrong with wanting to hang out with an... older woman." Danny ended awkwardly not sure if it would be okay to adress one of his favorite people in a way. Though she is okay with it anyways.

The older woman responds, "Your not wrong, but I would rather have you making friends and having a night on the town with them. Sooner or later, I'm not going to be around and then who are you going to hang out with?" She took a breath and grabbed in between her eyes gathering her thoughts, "I just want to know that you will be taken care of," she ended softly.

Danny was a little stunned by her words. He never thought she would worry this much about his lack of a social life outside the cafe. It made him sad to know he caused such worry from such an old woman. "I'm sorry I made you worry. I just don't think I could make friends as easily as you give me credit for."

"Same polite child as ever, Danny." She looked at him for a second before continuing, "Alright I forgive you and you can make it up to me by coming over on Saturday to plant some new flowers I got yesterday night and treat me to lunch."

"Okay sounds good to me," Danny said in an upbeat tone from being forgiven easily.

Mrs. Sprites retorted, "I wasn't done. You also have to go out Sunday for me and try to be social."

Danny just stopped and stared at the elder woman with a blank stare and mouth hanging open at a peculiar request. Never would he have expected his friend to force him to be social.

 **I do not know proper baking times and do not quote me on any of the timers.**

 **PLEASE COMMENT, THEY MAKE MY DAY AND GIVE ME MORE MOTIVATION :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the wait, and if you have to blame something then blame it on Victuuri (love everyone who knows what this is)**

 ****IMPORTANT** Imagine Mrs. Sprites house as a yellow one-story classic house with a porch and white railings. There is also a more run-down fence surrounding the backyard.**

Third person (following Danny):

Danny can't believe he agreed to Mrs. Sprites conditions. He can't just go out and pretend he know how to be social. It'll just kill the confidence he did have. This is a terrible idea. Why would the young man even listen to her? His mind answered, 'she's the only constant friend you have.' Danny stopped complaining in his head after that thought. He can't let her get disappointed in him because he isn't social enough, and besides it could be good.

A picture of him and Vlad talking and laughing popped into his head. Danny was taken off guard and stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk, making the gentleman behind him run into the previously moving man. Danny mumbled an apology, still stuck in his past though.

Sure Danny had been thinking about the man since he ran into him, but to think of them talking like old friends. It was curious to imagine a man you barely know into a situation where you spent a lot of time together. Danny finally shook his head and continued walking to Mrs. Sprites house.

It takes Danny one bus ride and to walk three blocks to get to Mrs. Sprites house, but he thinks it is a small price to pay to see the old woman. Except on this occasion, he knew he would be chewed out by her after planting the flowers he promised. Danny could already feel the uncomfortable conversation he was going to get.

Sooner than he would have liked, Danny reached the front door of Mrs. Sprites and his traitorous hand was knocking on the door. It took a few seconds before the door opened revealing a Mrs. Sprites smiling with a wide smile.

"You going to just stand there or come in?" Mrs. Sprites says with a cheeky smile and wrinkles forming around her eyes.

"Course not, just delaying the inevitable is all."

"Oh hush now. We'll get to that later. For now, you need to start with the first housework and that's-"

Danny cuts her off, "Do you want lemon cake or lemon cookies today?"

"I think cookies would be great. The oven is already heated and I have enough of the ingredients in the pantry" Mrs. Sprites informs her unofficial helper of the day. Danny got started with making the old woman a treat they could eat after he did all the housework she needed today, seeing she herself couldn't complete it in her old age.

Danny started on the cookies preparing the dough and then the frosting that goes on top. Mrs. Sprites and Danny talked about trivial things like the weather as he worked. He cut them into flower shapes just the way his friend likes them. Then quickly placed them in the oven and set a timer to let her know when she should take them out.

Danny asked before leaving the kitchen, "Where are the flowers you want to be planted for the front and back yards?"

"In the garage as always, you should know this by now, and I would prefer the pink ones to go in the front and the yellow ones to go in the back by the gate." Mrs. Sprites answered.

Danny nodded his understanding and when outside to get to work. The dark haired man enjoyed planting flowers, he just disliked the digging-a-hole-first portion of it. He'd much rather plant the flowers than dig a hole for them. Danny started in the backyard because he wanted to stay in the shade the house provided and try not to think of the ache he would have after he completed his work. The young man made quick work and soon he was heading to the front to plant the pink flowers he had no idea what the name was.

Danny seemed oblivious to the stares he was getting across the street, most female but a few men had been eyeing the goods of the short man who was bending over to dig a hole. The old woman in the house of which the short man was working was not oblivious and muttered, "Clueless," as she shook her head.

Mrs. Sprites knows Danny has some things he has to work out, but he needs to move on if he wants to have a better life that he deserves. She just doesn't want to see him so sad all the time, spending long hours at a bakery instead of making friends. It's okay though, she had a plan to get him to go out more.

After a particularly large man on the sidewalk across the street looked too intently at Danny, Mrs. Sprites decided it was time to wheel him in after tempting the neighborhood so much. She called through the front window, "I think what you have there should be fine; come on in now."

" I'll be right in, just let me put the shovel and extra soil away," Danny replied.

"Okay just hurry up the cookies have been done for five minutes and I'm hungry."

The young man walked away smiling think of the woman who was always in the mood for some pastry item. Still oblivious to the stares on his back as he retreated into the backyard.

Putting the stuff away than making his way to the back door was a fast trip and was in the house frosting the lemon flavored flower cookies in under a few minutes.

Danny then got two plates set up with three cookies each and headed to the table where Mrs. Sprites sat with two teacups filled with green hot tea. He smiled as he set the plate in front of her then sitting down on the opposite chair.

Getting down to business, Mrs. Sprites started, "So I was thinking you should go to a club this weekend." Danny's cookie hanging partly out of his mouth at the announcement of the older woman.

"Are you really going to make me do that?"

"Yes, it's what we agreed to."

"I know, but I thought you were just saying that for show."

She shook her head, "Do you really think I'm the kind of person to do things just for show? Come on you should know me better after all the time you spend here instead of making friends."

"I guess, but can you blame a guy for trying?" Danny muttered in a lower tone just having his dreams crushed.

"As I was saying, I looked into a club on the east side not too far from the shop. It's less eccentric than the others around here and more open to anyone." Mrs. Sprites explained.

The dark-haired man sat there with his mouth open not only at the amount of research his friend put into him going out but that she was suggesting a _gay_ club for him. Taking a sip of his tea because he really needed a minute to process that Mrs. Sprites was attempting to get him more opportunities for a boyfriend. At that thought, a certain grey-haired man popped into his head. Not now(maybe later), and what is she thinking were the two thoughts that went through his head at that moment before he responded. "Are you saying I should go to a club to get a... um... boyfriend?"

Nodding her head, "That is precisely what I'm saying. You need someone in your life who you can count on."

"I have someone: you. You've never let me down before, why should now be different?" He retorted quickly.

"I not-"

"You said I can always count on you no matter what even if my situation may be over your head you said you would find a way to help," Danny interrupted.

"Liste-"

"I don't want to feel like a burden to you, but you're one of the closest friends I have ever had and I don't think I can really be happy without you."

"Enough!" Mrs. Sprites nearly screamed. "Listen right now to what I'm about to tell you." Danny opened his mouth, "And no interrupting this time," his mouth closed at her demand. "First I want to say that you are an absolute joy to me and will never be a burden. Next, I need you to understand that I'm not pushing you away for any other reason than for you to be happy and to help prepare you for when I die."

"But you're not going to die anytime soon," the young man argued.

"You can never be too careful, and I'm getting up there in age boy so don't be too optimistic. No more interrupting now I mean it." She touched her finger to her chin in thought, "Now where was I? Oh... I'm also not saying you should get a boyfriend. What I want is for you to make friends who will accept you for you, and you can never be too careful now of days." She explained simply as if talking to a child.

Danny responded curiously, "I think I can understand your reasoning for wanting me to put myself out there at a club, but I don't have anyone to go with and it would be awkward and a little unsafe to go alone."

"There's where I come in," the old woman said, "I already talked to Mateo last week to see if his son would be willing to come with you."

For the second time in the conversation, Danny's mouth was hanging open. "You basically found me a babysitter to go clubbing!"

"Oh hush. He's not a babysitter as you say. He's just a young man, like yourself, who shares the same troubles as you. He also doesn't have too many friends that would be willing to go clubbing with him so I thought this would be a nice match." She said rapidly to get her point across to avoid another outburst.

"Is he even aware of this?" Danny asked.

"Yes he is and he already agreed so no more fighting about it."

"I don't even know this guy. He could be an ax-wielding murderer for all we know. He could take me to a spooky warehouse and chop me up to little bits and feed them to dogs while you sit home comfortably while I'm made into doggy kibble." Danny said half joking and half concerned.

"I bet you'd taste delicious if that's what you're worried about." She teased with a smirk on her face.

"I still don't know this guy," he said as a last resort to get out of going to the club.

"His name is Gervaso, but Mateo told me he likes to be called Wulf." Mrs. Sprites concluded.

Coming to terms that he would be going out on the weekend, to a gay club, and with a guy who goes by the name of Wulf. This new information was started sinking in as their conversation lulled to safer topics as they finished their tea and cookies, and then later went out to a small family restaurant to get lunch.

 **Question:**

 **Do we like Wulf added to the story?**

 **Which perspective do you want next?**

 **Is there any other characters who you would like to see?**

 **(Once again I am truly sorry for the wait)**


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